Peace
by waybackwhen
Summary: AU-The Uchiha's methods were far from legal. That was the point of their organization: to steep themselves in darkness so that other innocent people could cling to a concept they all longed to protect. The chaos reaches new heights when two rivaling mobs team up to strike the Uchiha brothers right where it hurts: Naruto and Asami. How will they hold up under a two-front battle?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto or it's characters, though Asami is my OC

Peace had always been her dear Itachi's favorite word, a fact which Asami couldn't help but find rather humorous considering their world was filled with anything but. That was the point of their organization though: to steep themselves in the chaos so that other innocent people could cling to her love's favorite word.

Such as Shisui. Looking on at the happy little four year old playing with a stuffed green dinosaur his uncle had given him, it was hard to imagine the boy as the heir to all of that chaos, but as Itachi's son, the boy was practically as doomed as his namesake. Blind loyalty had gotten her sucked into the Uchiha's crime family, in turn dragging this happy little child down with her.

A small frown tugged at her lips before it faded away with the soft chuckle she released. Such would not be her son's fate if he so desired to keep himself out of the darkness. If she had anything to do with it, this boy would have the world at his feet. Shisui wouldn't grow up like his father and uncle had; he would have the choice their father had never given them.

Well, never given to Itachi. As heir, the eldest brother would typically be forced into two roles: the shadow and the enforcer. In his position as the family's shadow, Itachi was to keep up an image within the public eye and be sure that the tasks he carried out as the enforcer were properly funded. Though a pacifist by nature, Itachi hadn't hesitated to force himself into both of these molds in order to allow his beloved baby brother to live within a light he'd longed to taste himself.

To his credit, Sasuke handled the news exceedingly well, and much to Itachi's dismay, agreed to take over the role the pacifist dreaded playing the most. The only matter left up in the air was what they should do concerning Naruto. The hyper blonde had managed to weasel his way under Sasuke's skin and into the fourteen-year-old's guarded heart; an irreplaceable part of the younger Uchiha brother's life that he couldn't possibly bear to part with. He hardly wanted to be responsible for extinguishing the younger's light by dragging someone so positively innocent into that world by association. In the end, Naruto would value the truth, a choice to be given to him rather than made for him.

Whereas he'd decided to remain out of the shadows of that world and simply learn to defend himself should his associations paint a target on his back, the elder Uchiha sibling was a lot less smooth in dealing with his own significant other's involvement within that world. Asami couldn't help the amusement that tinged her crimson eyes at the thought. She'd never seen Itachi so furious with her in her life.

Exceedingly aware of the dangers simply knowing him would place Asami in, the wayward Uchiha had fought to keep the woman at arms-length. Such a task became all but impossible around junior year of high school when it became clear that he hadn't done as successful as job as he should have at keeping his friendship with the woman a secret. Imagine his shock when his sweet friend had turned up one day babbling about her new boyfriend, Kabuto Yakushi. The silver-haired snake was second in command to a far more dangerous serpent by the name of Orochimaru, the leader of one of the rivaling gangs in the area.

Asami had been the last person Itachi had ever wanted to mix up in that mess, though even he couldn't deny that his father's suggestion to turn the girl into a double agent made too much sense. Through her, they'd managed to locate and tear apart one of the largest hideouts the inky haired man had possessed in the area. From that point on, Asami was forbidden to ever set foot on the field, though in nothing but stubborn refusal to leave Itachi's side, she resigned herself to becoming a medic for the Uchiha family, a task which she excelled at. The only unfortunate exception to her skill had been Itachi's cousin, the man from whom her child got his name. He'd been beyond help by the time he'd been brought to her though something in her refused to let go of the guilt over her inability to perform some sort of miracle to save his life.

"Come over here, Shi, it's time for a bath." Asami rose from her seat, waving for the child to follow after her.

"Can Uncle Sasu's dino come, too?" The little raven found herself being hit with a pair of puppy dog eyes that made her sorry for all the people she'd attacked with a similar sight.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart, you can't bring the dino into the bath or it'll get all ruined. But we can have him sit on the toilet with you and keep you company, okay?" She was relieved when she received an excited nod in reply to that.

Stealth and tact were two things the second enemy of the Uchiha family, Danzo, was known for, though apparently his men operated by vastly different standards. Once they confirmed the location of their target, they didn't hesitate long before kicking down the door.

An instant shot of adrenaline rushed through Asami's vein, protective instincts taking hold as the child by her side screamed. She swore a little under her breath before pulling out her phone, pushing it into her baby boy's hands. "Take this and go hide, call daddy, okay Shisui?" She would protect him this time. The frightened child nodded slightly before clambering off down the hall as Asami straightened up to face their attackers.

A weapon, she needed a weapon. Her eyes shot to the side, her hand moving faster than her brain could keep up with as she latched on to a candlestick. A deafening alarm was sounding around them- naturally an attack wasn't something they'd been unprepared for- that made it kind of hard to concentrate, but she had to buy enough time for Shisui to hide. It would be ideal if she could hold these men off until Itachi arrived, but highly unlikely to say the least considering it was four on one and she only had a candlestick to protect herself with. They had a pistol hidden in their room, but going for it would mean leading these men to Shisui and that wasn't an option.

It wasn't that uncommon for Asami to call around this time of night since this was usually around when Shisui went to bed and he wanted to say goodnight to his father. She never had to wait long for him to answer though Sasuke seemed to almost pout when he was silenced by his brother mid-complaining about his stupid partner. If he had a dollar for every time Deidara had nearly killed him, he would take Naruto on a vacation. If he didn't know any better, he'd accuse the bomber of trying to murder him.

The only way to stay human in a world like their own was to find someone who gives you a reason to do so. It was no secret to Sasuke that Asami was his brother's light in the same way that Naruto was his own, so in spite of being cut off, he couldn't help the soft smile that crossed his lips at seeing a similar sight tug at his brother's. Itachi wasn't cut out or this world, not like he was, but so long as Asami was around, he should be alright.

A rare glimpse of peace in an otherwise chaotic world was worth him shutting his mouth for a little while.

The younger Uchiha straightened up at the noticeable flash of fear that tore through the placid moment, and in the next instant, he was on his feet, just waiting for a sign to take off.

"Shisui, take a deep breath, tell me what's going on?" A moment of silence as the sobbing child tried to explain what was happening, but the only word he could seem to choke out was 'mommy.' "Calm down, what happened to mommy?" Even as he spoke, he was on his feet and following Sasuke out of the office. "Stay hidden, okay? Stay as quiet as possible, Uncle Sasuke and I are on our way."

They took Sasuke's car, the younger driving so that Itachi could stay on the phone with his son the whole ride there. He could hear the alarm going off faintly in the background, but every second his wife didn't take the phone from the boy to tell him she was alright set him more and more on edge. "Can't you go any faster?" He demanded of his little brother in a voice that was clearly holding to sanity by a thread.

"If you'd like to crash," Sasuke replied without missing a single beat, his hands clenched white-knuckled around the wheel as he tore through the mostly empty streets of Konoha. "Hold on." He instructed before taking a hard right, screeching down a back ally that would both get them there faster as well as avoid any police who might be lurking about. Considering he was clocking anywhere between eighty and ninety in a forty mile per hour zone, they couldn't afford to get pulled over nor did they have the kind of time for a police chase.

It was a good choice to get the extra money for high quality tires on that car considering how often the speed demon left skid marks all over, a sharp screech announcing their arrival at the small, one-story house Itachi lived at in record time. The elder didn't even wait for Sasuke, throwing open the door while his brother was still slamming on the breaks. Sasuke didn't bother turning off the car, nor did he close his door either before racing off after Itachi with his gun drawn.

Once Itachi quickly punched in the code for the alarm to shut it off, everything was deathly silent, setting both the men on edge. They were too late.

"Daddy!" As Itachi bent down to gather the whimpering boy into his arms, Sasuke moved further into the house to make sure they were alone as well as search for clues as to who had taken the missing raven.

It couldn't be Orochimaru. The snake master had a personal vendetta against him, so it was more likely the man would target Naruto than Asami. Plus, the man loved when his acts got proper recognition, so it's perfectly likely he would have called to brag by now. A bent up candlestick, very little blood, Asami wasn't hurt badly if at all. If it was just some random thug in the area looking for ransom, they would have made their demands by now as well though interrogation was another option. She knew too much about their organization, after all and it would explain why they hadn't bothered taking Shisui as well.

The overall abduction looked too brash and careless to have been carried out by Danzo, though, and the man would never have left any loose ends like Shisui alive. Nothing was taken; could this be some new thre-

His train of through it cut off by the sound of his cell phone going off, an annoyed huff slipping past his lips. What now? They really couldn't avoid another hit like this tonight. ' _Dobe.'_ If he ever got home to sleep tonight, it would be on the couch if he didn't answer the blonde, so he reluctantly pressed the 'accept call' button, hardly lowering his guard as he finished up his search while he spoke, "Now isn't really a good time, dobe. What is it?"

Charcoal eyes snapped open wide in instant recognition as he heard a low chuckle from the other end of the line, the chilling sound one that still haunted his nightmares. "Oh Sasuke, you're so cold to your poor little lover."

"Orochimaru," Sasuke snarled the name like it was acid on his tongue, previously owlish orbs narrowed in a deadly glare most feared.

Oh yes, those two had a history together, one that the younger Uchiha brother was perfectly content forgetting. It had been earlier on in his career, he'd gotten cocky and at sixteen years old paid the ultimate price for his arrogance- still had the mark on his neck to prove it. It had taken four long days before his brother finally managed to track down their location. Even four years later the horrible dreams hadn't completely vanished. Some scars weren't meant to heal.

"If you lay a single finger on him, I'll rip your entrails out through your throat." The raven's voice was deadly, an icy cold that easily told he wouldn't hesitate to make good on his promise.

"Don't you worry little Sasuke," the man purred, Sasuke's grip tight enough on his phone to break it, "I have no intentions of bringing any physical harm to your precious plaything. I simply wanted to show this pretty little face here just how much of a pathetic little whore you are."

Interrogation. Splitting up their forces. They were trying to break Naruto. Fuck. He suddenly felt like breathing wasn't possible. He hadn't even known there had been a video, but he knew he couldn't let Naruto see it. "What do you want from me?" He demanded in a growl, fighting back the undertone of desperation that wanted to creep into his voice. He was far less apt at controlling his emotions than Itachi was, especially where Naruto was concerned.

"Just an answer as to if you've reconsidered that offer I made you or not."

So Orochimaru was actually after him? If there was any way to make the younger Uchiha a little more open to persuasion, it was certainly through Naruto. The raven shook his head quickly, yelling at himself for even considering saying yes. Men like this were never men of their words- him agreeing to this offer wouldn't result in Naruto's freedom like the man was implying. "I'd sooner die than join you."

"That can certainly be arranged, dearest Sasuke," the man replied smoothly. "You know how to reach me if you change your mind though I wouldn't advise waiting too long." A threat, one that sent Sasuke's heart racing. Silence followed as the line went dead.

Deep breath; think rationally. Orochimaru has Naruto, that must mean it was ROOT who's taken Asami. Their two biggest enemies were teaming up.

The deadly enforcer moved swiftly back into the entryway where Itachi had managed to calm Shisui down, the older's onyx eyes flickering up to meet mirroring dark dues, a silent question written within them as to why Sasuke looked like he was having trouble catching his breath.

"We're calling in the Akatsuki. Orochimaru has Naruto."


	2. Chapter 2

The sound of a sharp, familiar scream tore through the haze of Naruto's chloroform-induced sleep, causing the blonde to lurch forward with a shout of his fiancée's name. His heart was pounding fast, a cold sweat causing him to shudder as his wild eyes desperately sought out the location of Sasuke so he could destroy whoever it was who had dared lay a finger on his best friend.

What he found instead was a large screen that took up about half of one of the walls in the completely empty room he was in. What in the world was going on?

Any semblance of thought became completely impossible as he slowly came to realize that the star of this film was Sasuke. But he was younger, this had to have been a while ago. His wrists were bound to a steel beam hanging from the ceiling, ankles chained close against the ground. He was currently lacking in a shirt, a harsh looking slice across his back leaving no mystery as to why he'd cried out.

Suddenly, as he watched a tall lanky man with inky black hair raise a hand to strike at the Uchiha once more with a merciless whip, everything clicked within Naruto's mind. He'd never had the misfortune of meeting the snake before, but this had to be Orochimaru. This video was of all the fearless enforcer had suffered the one time he'd made the mistake of getting too cocky.

"Sasuke…" He rose to his feet a little unsteady still from the chemical that had knocked him out a while ago now, approaching the large screen that held his love's image. Tanned hand cringed away from its attempt to reach out to the snarky teen who'd held his heart for as long as he could honestly remember as a loud crack preceded another choked cry. "Sasuke!" He longed so badly to jump through that screen and throw himself between the raven and that disgusting excuse for a human being.

Naruto always respected Sasuke's wishes- as long as they weren't freaking stupid, of course. Naturally, he never pressed the older male to talk about what had happen on those days he'd been missing. Sasuke simply claimed he wasn't ready, and even if he never was, that wouldn't stop Naruto from being there for his love when the nightmares attacked.

Sasuke was not the easiest person to shake up that badly, so he knew it had to have been something horrible that occurred to cause the Uchiha family enforcer so much pain. There was so much in that world that he'd never be able to protect Sasuke from… He should look away, he knew seeing the events that still haunted his lover to that very day would destroy him, but he couldn't tear his eyes away, a faint whimper escaping him of its own accord along with his best friend's helpless cry of pain.

He would give anything in the world to be able to take away Sasuke's pain. And if he ever saw Orochimaru, Naruto vowed to slaughter him and avenge the Uchiha enforcer.

XxXxXxXx

 _Amateurs_ , Asami couldn't help thinking to herself as she was lead along down what sounded like a long empty hall. Did they not expect her to be much of a threat? Sure, they'd taken her phone and blindfolded her eyes, but whoever had been fool enough to take her had bound her hands in front of her and left one sole person in charge of leading her to whoever was in charge around there.

How foolish of them to expect an Uchiha to go down without a fight.

Three… Two… One… Not even the slightest little signal warned of her attack, and before the thug could react, she'd jammed her elbow back into his chest, stomping down in his foot before tearing free from his hold. If there was one thing Asami was known for in her brief time on the field, it was her speed. As soon as she'd pushed the blindfold up onto her forehead, she was gone before the bastard had even managed to catch his breath.

As she ran, disappearing around as many sharp turns as possible, her teeth tugged at the ropes binding her wrists, picking up the pace a little when she heard an alarm begin to signal that she was on the loose. A small groan escaped her as she finally managed to snap the bindings, though it hurt more than a little. Hearing footsteps in front of her, she ducked inside an open door, throwing herself into a completely dark room.

The dark… She hated the dark. A quiet whimper escaped her as she remained frozen in place near the entryway, hands shaking at her sides before a yell from outside snapped her out of her fearful trance. She couldn't stop now. Swallowing back those old memories associated with the darkness, she plunged further into it, feeling her way around until she located a table, hiding herself beneath it as the sound of pounding feet thundered past the still open door.

She barely managed to catch on to one of them muttering about how pissed Lord Danzo was going to be.

"Danzo," she murmured to herself as she silently caught her breath, wracking her brain for some way out of there. According to the things Itachi had said, Danzo was hardly someone she wanted to cross.

A cold chill ran down her spine, causing her to shiver, thinking for a moment that it was her own fear causing her to shake before it registered within her mind that the wall she was leaning against had steel shutters digging into her back. An air vent, perfect. She shifted to her knees, facing the wall as she snaked her fingers between the gaps, giving the cover a tug to test it out. Screwed in; now what?

Delicate fingers sought out the screws on each corner, running along the small bulges of metal to see what kind they were. She needed a flathead screwdriver- or, since she was obvious lacking in one of those at the moment, her wedding ring should do the trick. The small band should fit perfectly. It was fortunate in that case that Asami was a very simple woman, didn't care much for huge, extravagant diamonds.

As silently as possible, she unscrewed all four of the screws though the vent cover gave a loud screech as she pulled it out. She'd never been one much to swear, but she did in that instant as she heard some men immediately rushing toward the sound. She didn't hesitate long before slipping inside, not bothering to put the cover back on since she didn't have the time to turn around and shut it. Besides, she didn't know if she'd be able to, those vents were a pretty tight fit, even for someone as petite as her. Perhaps that would protect her from being followed, but she couldn't take that chance.

A quiet, mumbled whine escaped her as she crawled right through a spider web, muttering an apology to whoever's home she had just ruined before crawling on wherever the vents lead her.

XxXxXxXx

Sasuke was getting restless. Not to say that he wasn't getting just as restless, but he was far less prone to act on the desperation he was feeling. Whereas someone had already had to confiscate Sasuke's gun to be sure he didn't hurt someone with it.

Sasuke definitely got his temper from their father that was for sure, in spite of the fact that many of his other mannerisms mimicked their mother. His pacing was creating a nice draft, though, and the elder Uchiha could hardly keep from noticing the fact that his little brother was digging his fingers into his arm in some kind of attempt to calm himself.

What would happen to Sasuke if something were to truly take Naruto away from him? Not to say that he'd been any better off were Asami to be ripped from his grasp. It was probably just because this was Orochimaru they were talking about here, and Sasuke knew first hand just what the creep was capable of. Though Sasuke hadn't told him any more about those nights than he'd managed to tell Naruto, he'd been on the mission to rescue his precious otouto, had seen first-hand the damage that had been done.

"Sasuke, take a seat." His voice was calm but stern. His brother was beginning to draw blood.

"Can't." The younger's reply was clipped and blunt, though there was an undertone of desperation very few would pick up on that told Itachi that his brother really did want to relax. It was so hard for him to be calm without Naruto. "I would go down to the gun range to work off some steam, but _someone_ took away my gun because he was afraid I would shoot one of these fuckers for _taking so damn long_." Sharp onyx eyes glared over at the trio pouring over reports and maps, none of them even glancing up at the accusing glare that was sent their way.

"You know they're doing their best. If we knew where the main bases were, we would have taken them out long before now." He reminded the younger rather unnecessarily, looking to be the picture perfect definition of calm at the moment.

"Why the hell are you so fucking relaxed about this?"

"One of us has to be." Charcoal orbs unflinchingly held the mirrored hues that turned to glare his way.

A heavy sigh escaped through Sasuke's teeth as he tore his nails away from his arm, pressing both of his palms against his brother's desk so he could at least attempt to take a deep breath. He needed to remain calm, but knowing and doing were two completely different things. He wouldn't be of much use to anyone if he couldn't control his temper, though. "I'll be out in the hall." He mumbled, pushing off the desk to head for the door, ignoring the charcoal gaze that followed after him with hints of concern in them. At least Sasuke was trying to relax, he would let the young man go. At a time like that, though, he didn't want him too far. Sasuke was just as much his weakness as Asami.

Out in the hall, the youngest Uchiha slid to the ground against the wall, not far from the bustling office so he could be informed quickly if something came up. As he waited, Sasuke decided to distract himself with his phone, pulling up the video that had been taken by his big brother not that long ago.

 _Among the many other horrible things surrounding their occupation, there was always the unfortunate chance that either of the Uchiha brothers would be forced to miss spending a holiday or two with their loved ones due to an assignment. That Christmas almost ended up being one of those times, but through some act of a god he'd never really believed in, Sasuke had barely managed to make it home. He would be damned if he let the likes of Danzo ruin the special surprise he had planned._

" _Really?" The video began with a slightly exhasperated looking Sasuke rolling his eyes at the man behind the camera, clearly thinking that his brother was being ridiculous. The camera moved up and down a little with Itachi's silent shrug, an amused grim flickering across Sasuke's lips at that simple reply before he let it go, setting his sights on the door to the small house he and Naruto had recently moved into together._

" _This is so exciting!" Asami's voice could be heard cheering in the background, the camera shaking once more as she grabbed Itachi's arm and jumped up and down anxiously before ceasing with his good-natured remark that she was going to ruin the video if she didn't stop._

 _Sasuke shushed them both before raising his hand to knock against the door in that special way that was used among them all to signal the person knocking wasn't a threat. "Just a minute!" A familiar voice called out, the simple sound of it seemed to light up Sasuke's eyes._

 _"He's so whipped," Itachi muttered playfully to his own wife- fiancee at the time the video was taken. She quickly shut him up with a smug reminder that he was no better. Sasuke was quick to shush them both again, a puff of smoke escaping his mouth into the frigid air with the sound._

 _Not long after, Naruto answered the door, azure eyes widened in shock before the blonde launched himself into completely prepared arms. One always had to be prepared to get tackled when there was a chance Naruto would be excited. "Teme, I thought you weren't getting home for another few days at least!" The slightly shorter blonde looked up into Sasuke's eyes like the sun and moon rose and set with the Uchiha holding him tightly._

" _Yeah, well, I managed to finish up early. Those punks didn't know what hit them." He pressed an affectionate kiss against the younger's nose, one which clearly didn't come close to satisfying the Uzumaki who was swift to capture his boyfriend's lips in a real kiss, either not noticing Asami and Itachi or just not paying them any mind as he took his sweet time reacquainting himself with the taste of that addictive mouth. It always amused him to no end how sweet the Uchiha's lips tasted considering his unconditional dislike for anything of the sort._

 _Once they'd finally managed to part their lips to catch a breath of air, Sasuke murmured almost too quietly to be heard by the camera, "So, you want your Christmas present now?" Any hint of daze that had clouded the younger's mind from that kiss was instantly wiped away with that question, crystal orbs resembling a child as he eagerly nodded his head. "Alright, but you need to close your eyes first."_

 _Naturally, Naruto was quick to oblige, holding his palms over the clenched orbs for good measure as he felt Sasuke unwind his arms from the blonde's waist. The younger Uchiha drew in a deep, silent breath, casting a quick glance to the camera for an encouraging nod from his brother behind it before reaching into his pocket and shifting down onto one knee. A small black box was produced within his hand before he instructed, "Open them."_

 _Naruto could hardly wait through both the words, pulling his hands away after the first in his excitement, though he blinked rather adorably when Sasuke wasn't right within his line of sight anymore. "Down here, moron," Sasuke muttered with a playful edge to his voice. Those beautiful orbs widened when they'd turned down a little to find him on his knee, and he chose then to reveal the content of the small box. Dark orbs shone with vulnerability and a hint of uncertainty as he spoke, "Naruto, you… know I'm not all that great with words. I could try my entire life and even then I don't think I'll ever find the words to tell you how much you mean to me. You always encourage me and believe in me even when it's hopeless, and you keep me human in this crazy world of ours. It's because of that and so, so much more that I'm asking you today, Naruto, will you do me the honor of marrying me?"  
_

 _Naruto honestly looked like he was trying to choke back tears as he listened to Sasuke speak. The younger Uchiha wasn't much known for his affectionate nature, at least, not through his words. Sasuke showed he cared through his actions though hearing the raven say such things out loud meant the entire world to him. He managed a small nod, swallowing against the lump in his throat before he murmured, "Of course I will, teme, do you even have to ask?"_

 _"You're such a brat," Sasuke mumbled almost to himself as he took the ring out of the box, tossing it haphazardly over his shoulder before slipping the ring onto the blonde's finger. It was a little loose, but it would do for the moment. A low chuckle tore from the Uchiha's throat as Naruto grabbed the collar of his jacket, pulling him back to his feet to draw those pale lips into another kiss as Asami squealed happily in the background.  
_

The video ended with that, Sasuke rubbing his tired eyes though he seemed far more sated now. He even started the sweet memory over again, getting about half way through before the door to the office opened up, Deidara poking his head out. "Yo, Uchiha, we may have a lead, but we need your help."

Sasuke was on his feet in an instant, slipping his phone into his pocket as he rushed toward the door, willing to do anything if it would mean finding Naruto and Asami faster. Just standing around doing nothing was killing him.


	3. Chapter 3

Their forces were running kind of thin, especially after the Uchiha's most recent vigilante escapade. That was the reason Danzo had been forced to hire a bunch of messy thugs who apparently weren't even capable of keeping track of the important captive.

All their plans would be ruined if the future Uchiha matriarch managed to escape.

Letting out a heavy sigh, the elderly looking man turned his eyes to a teen at his side, commanding bluntly, "Get her. I don't care how messy it gets as long as she's still alive." The dark haired boy nodded his head but didn't leave his master's side just yet.

Someone burst into the office, shouting something about how the escaped captive was in the vents before Sai held up a commanding hand to silence the man. For a moment, all was quiet in the room, a long moment that made it seem as if Sai hadn't had any real reason to silence the man other than a desire for him to stop running his mouth.

"Go get people stationed at all the vents around the base. Don't let her escape." Sai himself finally broke the silence with that cutting command to the lackey in front of him who nodded seriously before taking off to fulfill the request. Then dark eyes turned themselves above them to the metallic vents secured to the ceiling. "She'll come through here eventually." He declared bluntly, keeping his eyes on the vents as he waited for the tiniest little sign that she was above them.

A small crinkle of the metal occurred ten minutes later, and before Danzo could even blink, Sai had shot out the supports holding the vent, Asami's weight causing it to fall apart beneath her. A surprised shout slipped past her lips as she came crashing to the ground, throwing out her arms to soften the blow with very little success. It was through years of medical training that she was easily able to tell that the sharp pain in her upper arm signified that it was fractured at the very least, possibly broken. Fight or flight instincts kicked in as he tried to lunge back to her feet and get away without looking much at who was currently in the room, managing to get to her feet and make it about two steps before a hand latched onto her injured arm. Her cry of pain was a near shriek as the young man who had a hold on her twisted her arm behind her back and forced her down onto her knees.

She whimpered quietly, a few helpless tears escaping down her cheeks from the incredible amount of pain such a simple action caused. This was why she couldn't do much field work. Itachi and Sasuke ran around with a bullet in their leg without even flinching whereas she would likely whimper holding a gun with a paper cut on her thumb.

"Are you ready to cooperate now, Uchiha?" Sai demanded in a voice that was cold and calm, uncaring almost as he pulled her arm a little harder in a silent threat as to what refusal would certainly mean.

It was safe to say that this escape attempt had been a failure. All she could do now was hope that Itachi got there soon because another opportunity wasn't likely to present itself from here on out. "Y- yes, I'm done, I'm done." She muttered quickly, teeth clenched with the swift, slightly desperate declaration. Teary eyes rose from the ground to see a masked man glowering down at her- at least, that what it looked like, but the mask kept her from seeing much more. His eyes… she could barely see them, but they looked familiar. She didn't have much time to take them in before the person holding her hit a pressure point on her neck, almost instantly drawing her toward unconsciousness. With a whimper, she slumped against the floor, the last thing she saw of that man being his feet walking toward the door before her eyes slipped shut.

XxXxXxXx

"I think we've found a location, un." Deidara motioned Sasuke a little closer to the map they were pouring over of the city, pointing to a circle- one of the many that had yet to have an X slashed through it. "We received word that there's an alarm that's been going off in this building, but the police have yet to show up. It's like the alarm yours and Itachi's houses are rigged with- it's not intended to get help from that side of the law. This is our best bet, un."

Sasuke nodded seriously, straightening up as he looked at his big brother. "Something about all of this isn't sitting right with me."

"So you noticed it, too, huh?" Itachi's gaze was intent on the map, memorizing the location as swiftly as possible.

"Yeah… How on earth did they find the two of them?" His fists clenched a little at his sides as if his fingers were going through some kind of withdrawal from not holding a gun in them for too long. "We change their location pretty often, no one besides you, me, mother, father, and the rest of Akatsuki know where they're located at any given time. Finding one of them would be near impossible, but to find them both?"

"I fear we may have a double agent." The elder Uchiha declared with regret within his eyes before they sparked with rage as Deidara declared that he just got word that someone on the field had heard a woman scream from inside that building. If those men so much as laid a finger on Asami, he would show them no mercy.

"We don't have a moment to waste then." Sasuke looked disappointed to say the very least that it appeared as if they had yet to locate Naruto but found Asami instead. Not to say of course that he didn't care for his sister-in-law and hope they got her back safely, but Naruto was his other half and just knowing that his fiancé was in danger was more than enough to make him trigger happy. The younger looked to his big brother for a moment before lowering his voice, "How do we proceed from here? A rescue may be too risky knowing there's a rat, but finding one will take more time than we have."

A moment of calculating silence passed by, Itachi keeping his voice just as low as he murmured, "The traitor must be among Akatsuki, so we should be safe if we limit this mission to members of the Uchiha only. We'll have to deal with the double agent later, Asami and Naruto come first." Sasuke nodded loyally along with his brother's words, departing to gather agents to go along with them on their rescue mission.

His eyes flickered over to Deidara just before he departed, opening his mouth before the older male cut him off, "I know, I know, call you as soon as we find the other brat, un" Sasuke nodded seriously in reply before the office door slammed shut behind him.

A brief silence passed before Itachi let out a heavy sigh, shaking his head. He needs a vacation, he mused to himself, unable to help being a little off put by how fidgety Sasuke seemed without his gun. Such a sentiment went unnoticed by the duo still switching between the map and the phones in their efforts to find Naruto before it was too late.

He didn't want to believe either of these two were traitors, honestly- all of the Akatsuki were his friends in one way or another, so imagining any of them stabbing them in the back like he and Sasuke suspected pained him a little bit. They would need to be dealt with, though, no matter how badly he'd prefer not to raise a hand against a comrade.

Well, being a traitor makes them no comrade of his.

XxXxXxXx

"This is a bad idea, Suigetsu." The orange haired giant reminded the smaller male walking quickly just a pace or two ahead of him.

"I know that, Juugo." Violet eyes flickered around as if to make sure that they were still alone, keeping his voice down regardless. "But so is letting a man like Orochimaru gain control of this area, and that's exactly what will happen if the Uchiha are out of the way. Is that what you want to happen?"

"But how is this plan going to work? I'm not even angry." The bipolar man had been trying to work on his violent snaps, had actually managed to reduce the number of them successfully. Suigetsu's lips tugged upward as he mused to himself that Juugo was kind of like the Hulk in some aspects.

This was a time to be serious, though, he scolded himself, trying and failing at schooling his features into a calm mask. It just wasn't in his nature to be so… well, so much like an Uchiha.

"It's going to work, just trust me, would ya?" Unique orbs once again glanced around them, taking a left down the hall to where their important captives were held. "'Sides, Sasuke is an old buddy of mine and I happen to owe him a favor. I'm just repaying old debts, that's all."

At least, that was how he'd chosen to justify this borderline suicidal act.

This debt was nearly ten years overdue- he was almost certain Sasuke wouldn't remember should he bring it up at all. At the time, he'd just been a simple thief, stealing for his foster father to earn his right to eat and sleep for the week. Home security systems at the time weren't as advanced and so the white haired male didn't have too much of an issue sneaking in when he'd been sure all the Uchiha family was away. He hadn't counted on Sasuke, though.

At the same time Sasuke discovered him, Suigetsu saw lights coming up the driveway and for a moment, he knew he was a dead man. Things couldn't get any worse. Why the hell did that bastard pick this house for him to rob?

Something had broken though the spark of panic- a smaller hand grasping on to his own, pulling him away from the front door and up a flight of stairs. He thought for sure the wide-eyed Uchiha staring at him would have called out for help or something, but instead, Sasuke pulled the thief along to his bedroom, thrusting a math book into his hands. It was Suigetsu's turn to blink dumbly at the fellow teen as he was forced to take a seat on Sasuke's bed, the raven lowering himself into a desk chair just as the door to his room was opened up.

The white haired male hadn't paid much attention to the subsequent conversation, though from the bits and pieces he caught, Sasuke claimed that he was just a friend from school there to study and apologized for neglecting to mention it sooner. The Uchiha patriarch still seemed weary, though Fugaku seemed like a man who wasn't very trusting where most people were concerned. In spite of his obvious distaste for the stranger in his house, he eventually vanished from the room with some kind of warning to Sasuke not to be so negligent again.

Alone once again, the silence between the two boys was broken with Suigetsu's demand of why exactly Sasuke had saved him from likely getting his sorry ass thrown in jail or worse. Sasuke simply shrugged, a hint of a smirk ghosting at pale lips as he spoke softly, "I guess I don't believe that there's truly no rest for the wicked. Or maybe I just wanted you to owe me a favor. Who knows?"

Sasuke had that kind of smug attitude about him that instantly ticked Suigetsu off, though the older teen was hardly complaining when Sasuke sent him on his way that evening with a decent amount of cash in his pocket.

He had never had the opportunity to repay that favor, but that would be changing now.

Four guards around the little captive's door; no problem at all for Juugo. Two cameras; also not an issue, two shot was all he'd need. Now to make the giant angry.

That comfortable smirk never left his lips as he looked at the older male out of the corners of his eyes, murmuring, "Hey, Juugo, you see that guy over there?" Fake hints of regret flashed across his features as the albino looking male lied through his teeth, "I saw him kick one of your stray puppies earlier. The poor little guy just kept whimpering, it was the saddest thing, but this bastard here refused to stop."

Luckily, Suigetsu knew just how to get Juugo all riled up. The guard the accusation was levied against opened his mouth to demand why they two of them were there, but the demand never left his mouth as a strong hand closed around his throat. Suigetsu didn't bother paying much attention to the battle that ensued, knowing without a doubt that it would end in the orange haired male's favor, so he occupied his time shooting out the video cameras before moving forward to pick the lock to Naruto's door.

Imagine his shock when the second he opened up the door, he found a blonde haired blur tackling him to the ground. Violet orbs blinked a little, looking up into feral azure as the tanned male demanded, "Where the fuck is Orochimaru?!"

"Okay, that's about the opposite direction we should be going." Previously shocked face slipped away into a deadpan at the younger male supposedly pinning him to the ground though he was hardly trying to move as it were. Before their conversation could carry on much longer, a muscled fist gripped the back of Naruto's shirt, lifting the squirming Uzumaki off his savior and tossing the blonde against a wall. Naruto winced, throwing up his arms as he noticed a large fist being aimed straight for his face, throwing up his arms in an attempt to lessen the blow that would never come.

It took both of Suigetsu's hands to stop Juugo's single fist, one of the smaller male's hands wrapped partly around the giant's wrist, the other cupping the trembling fist firmly. "Juugo, that's enough." The reason he and Juugo were kept so close was because he was the one person who, even during a fit like that one, Juugo couldn't seem to hurt. "This is Naruto, he helped save your puppy, he doesn't need to pay. Take a deep breath and go cool off." He released the man's wrist in order to point across the room where the older should go until he could relax so that he wouldn't hurt either of them.

The brief silence that settled was shattered by a pained scream, it not taking a rocket scientist to piece together who was crying out. Naruto's eyes hardened as he glared at the man before him, the white-haired mobster seeming to be in his side. He clearly wasn't an Uchiha, though, perhaps a new addition to Akatsuki? He had those spiky teeth like Kisame-Nii did.

"Where is Orochimaru?" The blonde demanded once more, sounding a little more subdued this time, more desperate as his smaller frame shook with the effort to remain sane.

A serious look was rare within the violet eyes that pinned Naruto's down, a strong hand grasping his shoulder. "You can't go after him now, that's suicide. Let's focus on getting you back to the little prince first, got it?"

Perfect white teeth dug into Naruto's bottom lip, clearly trying to decide if he could trust these two or not, but in the end, he really had no reason not to. Orochimaru already had him in the palm of his hand, why throw these two in to trick him? "Yeah, alright, let's get to Sasuke." He ground out at last, his jaw clenched still as he tried to settle down with little success.

And just like that, Suigetsu was one step closer to paying off that stupid debt. They were far from in the clear just yet, though. Getting Naruto out of that room had been the easy part, but he wouldn't set foot out of that base without a fight.

Three against fifty or so. Suigetsu, for one, liked those odds.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** I wanted to dedicate this chapter to SaikaMasaomi. I had been kind of in a slump with this story, but your review inspired me to keep going- I started on the next chapter as soon as I saw it. So thank you for helping me out of my funk! I hope you and everyone else reading can continue to enjoy my work :)

"Here, you can shoot a gun, can't you?" Suigetsu hardly waited for a proper reply before thrusting the object into Naruto's hand. He would figure it out quickly enough should the answer be no, though with a fiancé like Sasuke, he doubted the blonde wasn't at least a little trained even if he never set foot on the field. Violet eyes fixed themselves next on the gentle giant who had found a little mouse to calm himself with off in the corner. "Are you ready to go, Juugo?" He called out, earning a nod from the older male as he rose to his feet once more.

"My new friend says he'll lead us down the paths with the least interference. " The orange haired man declared, holding up the creature in question to show him to Suigetsu and Naruto. The blonde blinked a little at the declaration, the look on his face questioning the larger male's sanity.

"Are you kidd-"

"Sure, that's a good idea." The white haired young man placed a hand over Naruto's mouth, speaking over him so that his incredulity couldn't upset his counterpart. "Let's get going quickly, okay?" Azure eyes aimed a glare at him that he easily ignored as he released the younger, motioning their new little mouse friend on ahead of them once Juugo placed the small grey rodent down, the gentle giant loyally following after where it scurried.

"What the hell was that about?" The younger demanded of his supposed savior with a deadpan look on his face. "Don't tell me we're actually going to follow a stupid mouse out of here."

Suigetsu shook his head a little at the loudmouth, giving his shoulder a light push to get him walking. "Yeah, we are, and you're not going to complain about it because it'll be your funeral if you upset him."

They didn't manage to get too far from where Naruto had been locked up before a loud alarm cut through the silence and startled their mini tour guide. Suigetsu swore a little, glaring into the nearest camera he could find with the silent promise to slaughter the man behind it. "You mother fucker," he growled just above the noise.

"What, what's going on?" Naruto demanded with a clenched jaw. He figured they'd been in the clear since the alarm had yet to sound until that moment.

The little mouse panicked with the loud noise and abandoned them to find their own way out, Suigetsu grabbing on to Naruto's sleeve, swiftly dragging the younger along behind him. "We've gotta move, quickly. That bastard, I paid him off, he was supposed to hold the alarm until we got out of here." If they managed to get out of there, he was going to personally slice Sakon to pieces and feed them to his twin.

Naturally, they hadn't really needed the small creature to guide them down the paths less traveled by, the two of them knew that base like the back of their hands, it was just a matter of hoping those halls remained uninhabited in spite of the blaring alarms. Suigetsu kept a tight grip on Naruto's jacket to make sure the younger remained close to him since if they lost this moron, all of this was for nothing.

"Listen to me," Suigetsu never took his eyes off the path they were running, Juugo trailing behind to watch their backs while he hacked through anyone fool enough to get in their way with his sword. "I know you probably wanna slaughter Orochimaru for what he did to the little prince and all, but if we see him, you can't attack. Now is hardly the fucking time, we'll all end up dead. You'll get your chance, but not now."

The blonde let out a low growl at that, clearly not at all pleased about the prospect of simply walking away from the one who had hurt his lover so badly though he gave a clearly reluctant nod in answer. He absolutely couldn't allow himself to die here, though, he needed to get back to Sasuke or who knew what the man would do? Besides, he made a promise that he'd never leave Sasuke behind and he never goes back on his word.

"Fine." He muttered, barely audible above all the noise as he tried to keep his eyes off of the people who got in their way. He'd never set foot onto the field before, such… merciless slaughter set him on edge more than a little. He tried not to think about how this was what Sasuke did on almost a daily basis.

"Shit," Suigetsu swore suddenly, jerking to a stop with his arm out to keep the blonde male from running right past him and smack into the inky haired man who had just rounded the corner, looking out at the three with that creepy smirk of his that even sent chills down his spine. The younger male at his side let out a low growl the instant he recognized the disgusting excuse for a man before him, clearly struggling to follow Suigetsu's earlier command about not engaging.

It seemed Suigetsu was having trouble following that order himself, taking a step closer to certain death with his sword at the ready, characteristic grin returning to his lips as he scoffed a little bit. "Fucking figures but I guess it can't be helped. Juugo, I'm counting on you to get him out of here." Violet eyes flickered over his shoulder to the blonde staring back at him with wide, enraged eyes. "You need to get back to Uchiha. Do me a favor and let him know my debt is paid and also, the only rest for the wicked is in death."

"What the hell are you talking about? What kind of debt? How do you know Sasuke? Why are you doing all of this?" Naruto demanded in rapid fire. If the three of them together couldn't take on this man before them, obviously Suigetsu was practically committing suicide.

The white haired male rolled his eyes a little at the questions, shaking his head as he turned his attention back to Orochimaru once more. "There's no time, just get the hell outta here." He commanded, not making the mistake of daring to take his eyes away from those eerie yellow orbs again. This was not a foe to be taken lightly, after all.

Juugo took the liberty of grasping on to Naruto's arm in spite of the blonde's initial objections, and eventually, Naruto reluctantly gave in. He had to get to Sasuke; that was what was important now. He couldn't die here…

"How incredibly noble of you, Suigetsu," the snake hissed in a tone that made the sarcasm behind the words abundantly clear, "but alas…" Before those words even left smirking lips, Suigetsu instantly knew what they would entail, which was the only reason he'd been prepared enough to block the two gunshots that were fired at retreating backs with his sword alone.

"Your fight is with me you creep." The white haired male snarled, not bothering with any more idle chit-chat; it was time to take action.

Suigetsu was far from a fool in spite of what a clown he acted like at times, and though he knew he wouldn't live forever, he had never expected to die quite like that- fighting for some punk he'd only just met to repay a debt he owed the enemy (technically) from a favor the Uchiha had done him almost a decade ago. Dear god, there was actually a slim chance that he wasn't complete and utter scum and that revelation happened to be a bit terrifying to say the least. So naturally, as his sword clashed against a dagger held by the devil himself, the white haired male pushed the thoughts aside.

Whatever it was awaiting him on the other side, he'd well earned it, so he would be damned if he didn't face it head on.

XxXxXx

Asami was trembling like a leaf, her breathing coming in short little pants as she stared wide-eyed into the abyss of nothingness surrounding her so completely courtesy of a blindfold over her unique crimson eyes. There was probably nothing in that world that she hated more than the dark. There was someone in the room with her, but she had no idea where he was or what he was planning.

She drew in a sharp intake of breath, nearly choking on the whimper that tried to escape her as she felt a hand brush across her shoulder, recoiling from the touch as she tried to get a hold on her mortal terror.

"All of this could end if you would just tell us what we want to know, Uchiha scum." The voice that whispered those words was low and husky, lips brushing against her ear as she once again tried to get away, but her current bindings kept her from shifting any further within the chair.

She swallowed hard against the lump in her throat, choking out in a tone ultimately lacking in the confidence she honestly did feel at the moment, "I'll never tell you anything."

"Why are you so intent on protecting those bastards when they're the reason you're here to begin with? Completely at my mercy…" Fingertips emerged from the darkness to trail a path along her thigh and, were her ankles not bound, she would have delivered a sharp kick to whoever had the gall to touch her such a way. "Itachi really should have been more careful with a pretty little thing like you."

"Keep your disgusting hands off of me." The young woman snarled, small hands clenched into a fist as she tugged at the sturdy bindings once more with her good arm.

Finger latched on to her chin now, forcing her to look up into a face she could feel breathing too closely to her own in spite of her inability to see said creeper. "Then how about you be a good little brat and tell me the code to the Uchiha stronghold and maybe I'll be gentle with you."

That code was something a very select few were trusted with, and while it would make sense that Itachi's wife should have access to it, she didn't. As the family's medic, she rarely arrived at the stronghold unless there were injuries and Itachi or Sasuke called her in, so they would be able to grant her access. It was a precaution for moments just like that one- the less Asami knew, the better off she'd be.

"I already told you that I don't know it!" She growled, though almost before she'd even gotten through the declaration she'd repeated almost five times now, a demanding mouth crashed itself against her own, eliciting a surprised whimper from the young woman. As soon as that disgusting tongue tried to force its way past her lips, she put an abrupt end to the assault by sinking her teeth into the appendage that had no right being in her mouth to begin with.

The man let out a shocked yelp as he pulled back and Asami could taste the metallic tang of blood on her tongue. Smirking satisfied at what she'd done, the sight didn't even fade away as a sharp backhand was delivered to her cheek- not for the first time. She could already feeling it start to swell.

"You little bitch." He snapped, large hand shooting out to grab her chin once more, fingers digging into her cheeks. "I was going to go easy on you, but I can see you like it rough."

"I really don't, I'm just defending Itachi's territory." She retorted defiantly, spitting the blood in her mouth in the general direction of where she figured that man's face would be.

Another loud roar alerted her that she'd hit her mark, though part of her regretted that extra touch of defiance when a rough hand grabbed one of her breasts through her shirt with a painful squeeze. "Well, Itachi's territory is about to be invaded by my dick you little whore!" He shouted crudely, free hand tearing at the jeans the young woman was wearing.

"As soon as he finds you, your death will be slow and painful," Asami warned in a low tone, trying to shift away from those demanding hands.

Before things could proceed much farther past that point, Asami thought she heard a door slam open, or at the very least, more light filtered through the blindfold than earlier a split second before a gunshot went off. She felt warm blood spatter her person before the man looming over her collapsed to the ground.

"Itachi!"

It absolutely had to be him who had just saved her and she was honestly so relieved.

"What's the meaning of all of this?" An unfamiliar voice demanded of the person who approached her, the hopeful smile that had taken root on her lips slipping away as the blindfold over her eyes was pushed up to reveal that young guy from earlier who had knocked her out rather than her dearest Itachi, standing behind him in the doorway a wrinkly old man she hadn't noticed in the room earlier in her attempts to flee.

"One of your hired thugs tried to rape her." The younger male replied in an uncaring monotone. "I took the liberty of shooting him."

A tired sigh slipped past the old man's lips, averting his eyes a little as his subordinate worked on redressing the confused looking Uchiha. "This was not our intention, my apologies, Mrs. Uchiha." He muttered a little reluctantly.

Similarly to the Uchiha, Danzo operated by a higher moral system than most, and while rape was something his supposed counterpart in this operation was well known for, it wasn't something he tolerated in the slightest.

It occasionally surprised Asami how the supposed bad guys possessed things such as morality and loyalty, though it really was just a friendly reminder that being a bad guy didn't exactly mean said bad guy was a horrible person, it simply meant that their goals were conflicting. Regardless, she felt completely degraded at the moment to have the enemy tending to her like Sai was- it was abundantly clear he was simply doing it out of obligation and not compassion, mind you, but she still felt like crap.

Asami was always the kind who wanted to see the best in people though it was a little painful to think that her captors weren't actually terrible people.

"I'll handle her interrogation from here." Sai declared once he'd managed to get the young woman situated once more. Those thugs were just too messy, they couldn't get the job done.

The old man in the doorway nodded a little. "Don't disappoint me." He commanded just before he vanished from sight, leaving Asami alone with this kid (well, not a kid, he was probably about Sasuke and Naruto's age) who seemed as if he'd been completely brainwashed.

She was beginning to entertain the chance that rape would have been preferable to whatever this emotionless robot had planned…


	5. Chapter 5

"Answer my question." The younger male's voice was blunt, uncaring as he looked down at the matriarch he could tell was nervous about what was to come.

"I'm not telling you the code." Pale fingers curled around the arm of the chair she was still bound to, trying to return his uncaring look with a glare that lacked an edge most Uchiha came by naturally. "Even if I knew it, I'd never tell you. Not in a million years. You can break every bone in my body for all I care. No matter what, you'll never ge-"

"Why?" The single word silenced her impromptu rant, causing previously narrowed crimson hues to blink a little in confusion.

"Why… won't I tell you?" His silence seemed to provide her with the response, eyes weary as she carefully picked her words so that nothing incriminating was spoken. "Because we have a special bond."

" _You and I have a very special bond, Sai. One that can never be shattered no matter what this world may throw our way. We're a team, and nothing will tear that apart."_

"A special bond?" He echoed quietly, not exactly meeting her eyes. He shook his head a little, willing that haunting voice from the past to leave him alone already. Where… was it coming from? Where had he heard those words before?

"One that can never be broken." She confirmed, a hint of affection entering her tone though her guard hadn't been let down just yet, she seemed more relaxed. "When you form a bond with someone, they place their trust in you and you in them. I may not be very strong, but it's up to me to protect the bond we share no matter what."

A moment of silence passed before the deathly pale teen countered, "Even if it means your death?"

"Absolutely," Asami's reply was without a hint of hesitation, an obvious protective edge flashing within her eyes. "Even if I die, I'll never betray our bond." For some reason, she couldn't help but think that Sai wasn't such a bad kid, and she'd always been a pretty good judge of character. "You know… you should really get out of here."

"And why on earth would I want to do that?" There was almost a defensive edge to the demand.

"Because there's so much more to the world than this!" She sat up a little straighter in her confines, passion within the gaze that finally managed to capture his own. "You don't have to let someone control you."

" _You should keep up your art. Don't let anyone take it away from you."_

"This is all I've known, why should I change?"

"Just because it's all you've known doesn't mean it has to stay that way for the rest of your life."

" _Tell him you killed me. Then take the first chance you get to get out of here. For me."_

Sai's lips parted to deliver another retort, eyebrow seeming to tick in barely concealed frustration at that insistent memory from the past that was trying to overwhelm him, though the sound of an explosion that shook the concrete room they were in caused anything he was about to say to die on his tongue. A relieved sigh slipped past Asami's lips, counting herself lucky that she'd managed to keep the teen talking too long to actually interrogate her before help had arrived. It had to be Deidara, no one knew explosives like him.

"Don't look so relieved, they'll die before they reach you," Sai muttered a little as he headed for the door, pulling his gun out to meet the approaching threat head on.

"But don't you wish you had someone as willing to die for you as my Itachi is for me?" Her remark caused the younger to pause just short of closing the door, not even looking back as he lingered there a moment longer before shutting it without a word in reply.

Perhaps there had once been such a person, once upon a time. Though the memory had long since escaped him.

Asami nearly held her breath at the silence that followed after the young assassin's departure, praying to whatever god would listen that she wouldn't have to know what it was like to be a single mother tonight. Silence ebbed away with the growing echoes of gunfire from outside her holding block, and while that distinctive sound continued to grow, she began tugging on her restraints once more. Perhaps it was her imagination, but they suddenly didn't feel so tight anymore. She tried her best to twist and bend the wrist of her uninjured arm to free it from its confines, but she hadn't managed to do so by the time those gunshots sounded like they were coming from right outside her door.

Uchiha Sasuke was a force to be feared in his own right, the name striking fear into most in the area. With Itachi at his side, though, the brotherly duo proved to be nearly unstoppable. They tore their way through the hideout without a single hint of mercy until they happened upon a room being guarded by a man who looked paler than death, assuming that beyond that door was either Asami or Danzo, either was an acceptable person to get to.

"I'll handle it," Sasuke ground out, not a hint of the warmth he often showed around Naruto or Itachi bubbling within his eyes as he lunged at the guard who met his attack head on without a single sign of fear within his emotionless features. While the fierce Enforcer held Sai's full attention, Itachi blew right past the two who honestly looked pretty similar. One well-aimed shot broke the lock on the door, light flooding into the room to reveal the elder Uchiha's battered looking wife.

"Itachi!" Relief and desperation mingled within crimson hues as the Shadow swiftly closed the distance between them, pulling out a knife to cut the leather belts holding Asami in place. She was trying to play tough and keep herself calm, but the sight of the man who owned her heart caused tears to bubble within her bruised up crimson eyes, and the moment she was free, she instantly flung herself into his arms. Only one of her own wrapped tightly around him, the injured one remaining safely at her side as his own hand found its way to her hair.

They didn't have much time for a dramatic reunion, but it was hardly a secret that he was grateful that she was safe. "Let's get out of here." He murmured just above the gunfire still resounding from outside their room, allowing his hand to fall back to his side since he knew she would understand the silent implication to stick closely to him.

The young medic gave a nod, resisting the urge to reach forward and hold on to his hand since she knew he would be needing both of them to get out of there safely. Though even with both of his arms, it seemed as if the younger Uchiha brother was struggling a little against Sai, the heated battle having tuned in the enemy's favor. The Uchiha couldn't help the low groan that slipped past his lips as he was thrown against the unforgiving concrete wall, all of the breath knocked out of him with the action. Sai choose then to whip out a pistol, a move Sasuke was more than prepared to counter until he found his view of the fellow raven being blocked by a petite form even smaller than his own.

Itachi's attention had been taken by reinforcements, though apparently it had been a mistake to assume that his wife would remain by his side. "Please, don't shoot." Asami's plea was quick, desperate, not bothering to try and hide her weakness as she held out a hand as if that would stop the bullet.

Perhaps more surprising than Asami's sudden involvement in the situation was the fact that Sasuke's opponent actually paused with her request, staring silently at her with a weapon unwavering as if waiting for her to explain exactly she was trying to throw her life away like this.

Until her words from earlier flashed within his mind once more. Asami and Sasuke had a special bond; that was why she was so willing to die to keep him safe.

"Come with us." Sasuke knew well that Asami could be unpredictable, but this was completely ridiculous.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" The young Uchiha could hardly keep from growling, though he didn't make any sudden movements, lest that situation escalate any more out of his control than it already was. Charcoal hues never left the finger still lingering over that trigger, ready to get himself and his brother's idiot wife out of the way should that hesitation wear off.

"… Why?" The younger Uchiha flinched a little as Sai's finger tightened with that demand, hand risen slightly in preparation for the worst. The tension in the air was suffocating, but there was no way he could allow anything to happen to Asami, and Itachi was too caught up at the moment to come to their rescue.

Sai himself stiffened a little when Asami's hand shifted, rather than holding her palm out to stop the assault, now the delicate fingers were inviting him to place his own within the small palm so she could pull him along. "Life is full of choices. You deserve to make them for yourself." Her voice was careful though sincere, fingers holding no hint of a tremble to them as if she couldn't possibly be calmer.

Not to say that Sasuke was trembling of course, though it was obvious the young woman either didn't understand the severity of what she had just done or simply trusted Sasuke to save her reckless ass should things go south.

Her words are met with an emotionless silence, though perhaps that was simply because Sasuke's eyes didn't dare leave the finger that was on that trigger, not even when it seemed to relax ever so slightly. Things in their business could change at the drop of a hat, and he refused to be caught unaware.

That being said, Sasuke certainly felt like that confrontation was stretching out far longer than he was comfortable with, resisting the urge to glance over at the scuffle he could still hear his brother silently pleading with the man to put an end to that situation quickly. He was better than that- the fight with Sai should never have carried on that long to begin with. But Naruto was still in trouble, so perhaps he was having a difficult time focusing knowing that.

They needed to get out of there quickly regardless. "There's so much more to the world. You deserve to see it all; do whatever makes you happy." Crimson hues practically begged the young man before her to give in to the confliction she, for one, could easily recognize within the gaze most would consider empty. The fact that he had yet to shoot her spoke volumes.

" _I really want to show you this drawing, brother." A childish grin graced rather happy looking pale features, though Sai's attention had yet to be taken from the page in his book that he'd been hard at work on. It was his best work yet, honestly._

 _Curious, light colored eyes tried to take a peek over his pseudo younger brother's shoulder. "Yeah? What is it?"_

 _Sai was swift to hug the book against his chest in order to hide it for the time being. "It's not finished just yet. Can you wait just a little longer, Brother?"_

Shin… How could he have forgotten? For as long as he could remember, that book had always been within his possession, always remained unfinished. He couldn't for the life of him recall what he'd wanted to draw when the two warriors fighting from opposite ends of the book would do when they at last met at the center.

"… And we could have a bond?" This woman somehow made him… remember. He'd spent so long killing off his emotions, but something about her words seemed to remind him of just how pathetically human he truly was.

His question seemed to catch Sasuke off-guard as it accompanied the enemy- former enemy? Not just yet- lowering his weapon, free hand tentatively raising as if he were actually about to take hers. The smile on the young matriarch's lips was warm and inviting, seeming to pay no mind to her brother-in-law's worry nor the chaos going on around them. "It would be my honor." Asami murmured, meeting that hesitant hand half way.

"Sasuke, Asami, we need to move." Itachi's voice pierced the shell of their little moment, finally seeming to bring Asami back to the here and now as her eyes flickered over to her husband, giving a short nod before swiftly falling in step right behind Sasuke, dragging Sai along by their joined hands.

If Itachi noticed they'd managed to pick up a hitchhiker, he didn't bother to mention it. This was hardly the first time, after all, and he trusted Asami's judgment. As a matter of fact, her habit of picking up strays had been how their organization had acquired a good portion of the Akatsuki members. Perhaps this impromptu new recruit would end up serving them just as well as Deidara or Hidan.

Sasuke picked up the pace a little so that he could now take the lead as the rescue team tore their way out of the base the same way they'd managed to get in, only now they were plus one- said plus one seeming to hold no regrets about cutting down men he had once been forced to consider comrades. Really, Sai firmly believed he'd be doing Danzo a favor by getting rid of those hired brutes- doing his own sanity a favor by getting away from them, truthfully. On their path, the Uchiha heir fell back a little, keeping pace with Asami now though his eyes never once flickered to her, lest he lose focus on the fight at hand. "Are you injured?"

In spite of the havoc surrounding their journey to escape, Asami didn't seem all that worked up, calm and collected just like her husband, though her own gaze held the more innocent sentiment that she was well known for. "My arm is fractured, I believe. And I've got a killer headache, but that's it. I'll be fine." Asami had always been one to pay pride no heed when asked a question such as that one. She saw no benefit in lying and pretending everything was alright- such antics could only cause trouble for all involved.

"I see." The Uchiha Shadow let nothing show, those two words all the reply he gave as the exit came within view.

Sai seemed to be fighting himself on something at that point, though once his eyes flickered to the petite hand still clinging to his own, his resolve strengthened. "There should be snipers on the roof by now. Three of them." And unlike the cut-rate morons Danzo had chosen to surround himself with as of late, Sai knew these men would get the job done.

"Aniki?"

"Yeah."

It was all the communication that passed between the brotherly duo, but it was all they needed to know what they had to do. It was remarkable just how amazing their teamwork was. "Stay back," Itachi warned the two running beside him, swiftly closing the distance between himself and the Enforcer as each prepared to break through.

Sasuke held a sleeve over his mouth, free hand producing a makeshift grenade of some sort- likely manufactured by Deidara- bursting through the door even as his brother had stopped in the entryway. Two small pellets thrown by the heir chased after Sasuke, providing the younger with enough cover not to get himself caught so he could launch the explosive at where he'd seen those three snipers hiding before the smoke cloud had hindered his own sight as well.

Once some of the smoke had cleared, only one foe remained though he looked dazed from the blast, two swift shots quickly putting him out of his misery before Sasuke called back inside, "Come on!"

Itachi followed after swiftly, though Sai lingered a moment longer with Asami as he finished up taking out a thug who had tried to sneak up on them a moment before. Once the man was down, he gave into the hand pulling him along once more with a quiet sigh.

The young captive of sorts wished that he could trust as easily as Asami seemed to. And perhaps he would learn to form bonds as strong as those she held with the Uchiha brothers. For the time being, in that new reality he was entering into, Asami would be his goal.

And as such, he would protect her with everything he had. He would not allow her to end up like Shin.

XxXxXxX

Naturally, breaking out of a heavily guarded base was hardly as easy for two barely armed young men who had been forced to leave a comrade behind. While Naruto had hardly known the white haired male, he couldn't help the feeling of guilt that was creeping up on him at abandoning the one who had risked everything to save him.

He also couldn't help but wonder about exactly how this guy had known his teme. It was possible that their interaction may have occurred during Sasuke's time held captive by the vile snake, though none of the videos he'd seen- a shudder ran through him at the very thought- had shown the young man having any sort of contact with Sasuke. Besides, Suigetsu had mentioned that he had owed Sasuke for something, which wasn't likely to have occurred during the fucked up torture the Enforcer had been through.

The blonde refused to hold any sort of pity for his lover, Sasuke was too strong to suffer such a sentiment. That, however, didn't mean he didn't long more than anything to go back in time and protect his most important person no matter what the cost. God, he could hardly keep his thoughts away from that haunting scream, calling out for himself, Itachi, someone to save him.

It was going to be hard to recover from what the young blonde had been forced to witness, though he knew he'd feel so much better once he could hold his teme once more to reaffirm that he was alright…

Things weren't going well, though. Sasuke had never allowed Naruto to participate in field work, and while he was far from defenseless, these men weren't the hired thugs said Uchiha was going up against. Which basically meant Juugo was on his own, and while the gentle giant was someone to be feared, there was only so much anyone could handle.

Juugo, for one, knew that he wouldn't be able to complete his friend's final request. There was still a chance to get Naruto out of there, though. This had been a bad idea from the beginning, though now resigned to the fate he had chosen to bear alongside Suigetsu, the orange haired man swiftly pulled Naruto into an empty room where they could be safe for the moment.

He was trying to catch his breath, closing his eyes to take a moment to get himself under control before slipping out his phone. "This is as far as I can take you. Give me Sasuke's number so we can inform him of where you are." Gentle scarlet orbs looked to the blonde panting quietly at his side, awaiting the requested information.

There was a pause from the blonde, though he couldn't claim to know exactly why he was being so hesitant. "… You'll be killed, won't you? For helping me? And Suigetsu, too…"

The older almost looked touched by that question, refusing to lie to the blonde he had already come to consider a friend as he nodded his head a little. "Most likely. But neither of us could stand for a man like Orochimaru to gain control over this area. It's important that his plans don't succeed. Don't blame yourself, we both made our choices. Now tell me Sasuke's number." He repeated once more.

Another moment of pained hesitation passed before the blue eyed young man nodded, gently taking the phone from this man who had tried so hard to save him. "I want to talk to him." He declared quietly, punching in the number he knew by heart before putting it to his ear.

Sasuke had just slipping into the passenger's seat in one of the two cars the rescue team had taken to Danzo's hideout, Itachi taking the wheel this time as Asami and Sai slipped into the back seat. He watched the other four present slip into their vehicle until the sound of his phone nearly caused him to jump.

Field work always left him a little jumpy, for good reason really. The number that popped up was one he didn't recognize, narrowing his eyes at it before hitting 'accept.' If it was Orochimaru, they might be able to trace the call back or-

"Teme?"

Itachi screeched away from the curb, casting a faintly troubled look at his younger brother. "Who is it?" Though still young, Sasuke was hardly one to touch his phone during a mission- Naruto the obvious exception to that rule.

Sasuke didn't seem to hear his brother, though gave an answer a brief second later once the shock wore off. "Naruto, where are you? If that fucker so much as laid a finger on you-"

"He didn't hurt me." They didn't have much time, but Naruto knew well where that threat was going. "Not physically, at least… There was this video and- fuck, teme, you need to get over here now. These two guys tried to help me escape, but we're outnumbered and-"

"Where are you?" The younger Uchiha repeated the question he had already asked of his counterpart, free hand clenched into a fist on his lap. It didn't take a rocket scientist to know what that video had been of, and he for one couldn't help but wonder just how many times it had been watched.

Asami had yet to release Sai's hand even in spite of the fact that they were generally safe at the moment, eyes watching Sasuke for a moment before asking quietly, "Naruto's in trouble?"

Naturally, Sasuke was too enthralled with the sound of his lover's voice to even register the question, so Itachi took the liberty of answering in a hushed tone, "Orochimaru took him. He and Danzo teamed up to try and divide our forces by targeting the two of you at once. We also believe there to be a traitor among our ranks, otherwise it would have been impossible to locate you two."

"What if they're targeting the main base? They were trying to get the passcode-"

"They already have it," Sai cut in, causing the married couples' eyes to shot to his own evasive gaze. "Asking you about the code was just a means to get you to betray Itachi."

Asami and Itachi exchanged a glance before the young woman placed a gentle hand on Sai's shoulder. "How does he know already? Only those high up within the organization know that code- I truly don't even have it."

"I don't know who gave it to him," The young man shook his head a little bit. "He always wears a mask when he's around. I would probably be able to tell who it was if I was able to observe him without the mask, though."

Before Asami could open her mouth to say something else, Sasuke's voice raised sharply, once again capturing the others' collective attention once more as he shouted, "Dobe? Dobe, what's going o- Fuck!" A low growl tore from the raven as he unceremoniously chucked his cell phone at the dashboard as the line went dead suddenly. "Get to the abandoned warehouse on Northlake, the dobe is in trouble."

Itachi gave a curt nod, speeding up a little since he knew Sasuke would damn near bite his head off if he wasn't going fast enough to almost get them killed. Just as the sleek black car began to pull ahead of the one that had been at its side, whoever was driving- Sasuke thought it had been Madara who had gotten into the driver's seat- suddenly lurched to the left, catching the back of their car. The sudden jerk caused Itachi to swerve, fighting to gain control over the car once more though, at that high speed, it wasn't the easiest.

"What the hell are they doing?" Sasuke ground out, accusing charcoal hues snapping behind them as that car remained right on their tail. In the back seat, Asami had fallen into Sai by accident, the young man taking to keeping his arms around her to prevent her from being jostled anymore. Just as Itachi managed to get the car back on track, Sasuke watched the passenger's side window open up, a pistol pointed out the barely open hole. "Get down!" He warned swiftly, pulling out a gun of his own to counterfire since he was hardly the sort who would go down without a fight.

Three shots rang out, the sound torn away by the speed at which both cars were racing along the streets. The single shot Sasuke fired shattered the windshield- perhaps that was a pretty bad oversight on their part not to have already invested in bullet-proof glass for all the cars. He would have gladly unloaded more ammunition into the traitorous vehicle had their shots not blown out one of the tires, causing the car to lurch to one side and mess up his aim. The second shot grazed the young Enforcer's shoulder, causing him to swear a little before taking his own advice and getting down.

Itachi could feel his brother's gaze lingering on him, practically hear the silent plea for direction. Even well-oiled killing machines such as the Uchiha brothers could only keep going for so long, and the heir could tell his precious baby brother was reaching his limit by now. Not that he was any better off. Asami couldn't do much with one arm. Could he ask Sai to step up after only recently jumping on board with them? It was risky to say the least.

Not to mention, of course, that it appeared whoever was driving the other vehicle seemed to be steering them right toward the unfinished bridge. This situation just kept getting worse…

"… You three need to jump."


	6. Chapter 6

The tension in the car after that firm command to jump could be cut with a knife. "We're not leaving without you," Asami's response was almost instantaneous, dark red eyes narrowing at the Uchiha Shadow. The young mother was quick as a whip, naturally- one couldn't be with someone like Itachi and not be clever. Not to say that it took a genius to know Itachi intended to stay in this death trap.

Sasuke, on the other hand, was rather quick to obey his brother's commands as the car they were in was slammed up against the side rail of the unfinished bridge, jostling the occupants briefly with the force of the impact. As far as the enforcer was concerned, there was no way he could go after Naruto if he was swimming around in the ocean, so if Itachi wanted him out of there, he wasn't about to argue. There were no objections from Sai, either, the new recruit working with Sasuke to create a large enough hole in the back window for them to escape through.

The driver's eyes didn't leave their path even when Asami grabbed onto his upper arm from the back seat still, though he could feel the tremble in her grip that easily announced her fears. "Itachi, you're coming with us."

And while normally the Uchiha wasn't one to disobey his sweet wife, the man shook his head a little, face as calm and passive as ever in some attempt to get her to relax. "It'll be better this way, Asami. Whoever is in that car is an Uchiha- it'll be easier to get them out this way."

"And if that car is full of enemies?" Asami demanded in turn, tightening her grip on Itachi's arm as Sasuke declared that it was time to get out of there.

At last, charcoal eyes left the road, turning to give his wife a faint hint of a smile. "I left Shisui with mother and father, by the way. We'll get back to him together, don't worry." He pressed a kiss to her cheek that lasted no longer than a second before pulling her fingers from his arm so that Sasuke could proceed to drag her out of the car by force.

Not to say that the simple contact had placated her in the least, but out of fear of causing harm to Sasuke with all the broken glass surrounding the window they were escaping through, Asami didn't physically put up any fights. Sai jumped a few seconds before they did, Sasuke holding onto her hand at first until he shifted as they jumped so that he would take the brunt of the impact with the cold hard ground. It killed his wounded shoulder, but he was far more used to the pain than Asami was.

Strong arms protected the young woman's head so that when they tumbled along the concrete she wouldn't hit her head too hard, though he still heard her whimper a little- probably from her broken arm. When they finally came to a stop, the world still feeling like it was spinning a little, Asami was resting against his chest as he laid on his back attempting to catch his breath.

"You okay?" He mumbled, looking down at his sister-in-law, though he couldn't see her face since it was hidden by her displaced black hair.

He considered moving it himself, but she did so on her own a moment later, pushing herself up with one arm which allowed her hair to fall back and reveal a face twisted in pain. "I've been better," she mumbled. Once she was resting up on her knees, the enforcer sat up as well, rubbing the back of his head with a faint grunt of pain.

He barely registered her returning the question, but he knew those would be the next words out of her mouth- she was just that sort of person. "I've been worse," a single eye cracked open to give Asami a faint hint of a teasing, seeming amused by his play off of her answer. For the first time, Sasuke really took his brother's wife in- she looked like a complete mess and he was pretty sure most of that hadn't been because of their daring jump.

The barest hints of amusement flickered within Asami's eyes at her brother-in-law's quip though it faded the instant she heard a loud crash from the water just below them. "Itachi!" The young woman tried to spring to her feet, but she moved too quickly and ended up stumbling after only a step or two, the only thing stopping her from hitting the ground again being Sai stopping her fall.

"I'm sure he's fine." The younger declared rather easily, not releasing Asami again until he was certain she was steady on her feet. "Don't you have any faith in him?"

That question seemed to catch Asami off guard, crimson eyes shooting to Sai as if she had just been accused of something completely horrific. "Of course I have faith in him, that doesn't mean I can't worry over him! He's precious to me, it's only natural."

"He'll be fine." Sasuke's voice came from right beside her now, the enforcer having worked his way back to his feet once more. "I want you to stay here and wait for him, whoever he pulls out may need medical attention and you're the only medic we've got on this mission."

Asami's eyes snapped accusing to her brother-in-law. "And where the hell do you think you're going? Because you're certainly not going after Naruto on your own."

Something about the hints of desperation Asami could pick out within Sasuke's eyes caused her to falter a little, though, as the younger grabbed on to her good arm to show how serious he was being. "He needs me, Asami. I'm not doing any good standing around here."

There was a tense moment of silence before a low sigh escaped the young mother. "Fine then. We'll be right behind you, okay? Don't get reckless." Normally, no one was more rational than Sasuke about field work, but when Naruto was concerned…

The young man gave a curt nod before taking off swiftly back down the bridge toward where Naruto had said he would be. He had to get there before it was too late.

A couple of blocks from the bridge, Sasuke had to pause for a moment to catch his breath. Beads of sweat trailed their way down his neck, but he wasted no time in using his teeth to tear off a piece of his shirt so that he could tie it around where his upper arm was still bleeding. Dammit, the blood loss was starting to get to him a little, this wasn't a very good condition to be racing across town in…

A heavy sigh escaped the raven as his eyes slipped shut for a moment, able to picture so clearly that sweet smile that always seemed to keep him from completely losing it. There was no way he could let that smile get destroyed by someone like Orochimaru- he knew first hand just what the man could do. It was imperative to get Naruto out of there as quickly as possible.

Then his mind drifted to the slight tremble he could hear in Naruto's voice when they'd spoken on the phone earlier- the fear he tried so hard to mask but Sasuke had known him just a little too long to fall for it. Dark eyes shot open one more, fingers tightening into a fist before he forced himself to keep running.

Asami had told him not to get reckless, but it was really unavoidable where Naruto was concerned, so you can bet that Sasuke didn't bother to look both ways before running across a major street- at that time of night, he assumed no one would be on the roads anyway. But alas, a loud screeching sound caused the young enforcer to freeze in his tracks, turning to see the single headlight of an oncoming motorcycle. Instinct kicked in and the raven was swift to dive out of the way just as the vehicle swerved to avoid hitting him.

… A motorcycle? Dark eyes looked up at the man who had stopped by now, helmet off with a worried look in his eyes. What a sorry sight Sasuke must have made to be getting a look like that from a man who had almost hit him.

'I can take this guy,' Sasuke thought to himself as he slowly rose from the ground. It was instinct to size any stranger up as an opponent, though this one seemed to be trying to help him.

And maybe he really needed it. What in god's name was he doing trying to run across town like that? "Get off the bike," Sasuke commanded plainly, not wanting to have to hurt this guy- if he'd stopped, he seemed like a half way decent human being.

One who was confused by the command. "Do you need to get to a hospital or something, man?"

That confusion shifted quickly to fear when Sasuke pulled out a pistol to aim at this guy, charcoal hues narrowing as he commanded once more, "Get off the bike. Now!" His hesitation was wearing off- he didn't have time for this. So when the man stared at him wide-eyed, Sasuke took matters into his own hands, grabbing the guy by the collar of his shirt to jerk him off the bike and onto the ground.

"Wha- hey!" The stranger didn't have much more time to object, a swift kick to his head effectively silencing him and hopefully distorting his image of just who had hijacked his motorcycle.

With the loose ends tied up, Sasuke jumped onto the bike and took off without bothering with a helmet, silent calling himself a complete idiot for not having thought of that sooner. He was losing it. "Focus Sasuke, focus," he muttered to himself, the sound completely torn away by the speed at which he was driving.

He could see it off in the distance- the warehouse where Naruto was being held. Another minute or two and he would be busting down the door to save his precious fiancé. That was around the time another car pulled up alongside him and at first, Sasuke was relieved. He was certain his brother had finally caught up with him- it was kind of hard not to considering Sasuke had spent a good five minutes trying to run somewhere that would normally take ten minutes by car.

That relief, of course, died the instant that car tried to ram into him. The impact sent a sharp jolt of pain through his leg which ended up caught between the two vehicles before he managed to swerve out of the way. Whoever was driving wasn't giving him an inch, though, and he wasn't very well protected on that motorcycle, so when the silver car tried to slam into him again, Sasuke was forced to slam on the breaks to avoid getting hit.

He didn't have time for breaking, but there was no way he'd be able to save Naruto with this asshole on his tail. Charcoal eyes flickered down to his leg but all he could discern from the quick glance was an obvious wet spot on the dark black jeans- obviously he was bleeding, but it didn't hurt as much as it would once the adrenaline died down.

There weren't many options here. The warehouse was so close, there was hardly enough time to lose this guy, and on the off chance that he managed to, whoever was driving knew exactly where he was heading. A high speed chase on a bike like that was suicide since there was nowhere for him to hide like that; he didn't have the same protection he would inside a car and even if the enemy wasn't aiming for him, it wasn't hard to hit the engine and blow the thing up.

His only option was to stop and face this attacker, worst comes to worse, even if he lost, he could warn Itachi about who they were up against. When Sasuke slammed on his breaks just behind the silver car, red light lit up to signal his attacker was slowing down as well. There was still a chance for him to try and get the upper hand, though. Slamming on the breaks, Sasuke turned the bike so that it would skid sideways along the ground allowing himself the perfect opportunity to jump off.

The young man's body hit the ground pretty hard, but the bike kept going, tumbling and flipping without him to keep it steady before it rammed into the back of the silver bullet that had been chasing him. Everything hurt, Sasuke didn't know how much more he could take but he was too close to Naruto to just give up now. Still laying on the ground where he'd landed, not even wasting the time to struggle to his feet, the raven fired the last of the ammunition in his pistol at the motorcycle, desperately trying to blow the engine and hopefully kill the man who was after him without much of a fight.

A spark- Sasuke knew he'd hit his target, hands instantly flying to cover his head since he was still too close to the explosion that went off for his liking. The sound was deafening, the brief flash of light turning night into day before it dwindled to nothing more than a metallic bonfire. He couldn't claim to be able to hear anything after all of that, his ears were ringing but it didn't seem as if he'd suffered any other damage. Nothing notable at least, perhaps the raven had acquired a few burns or scratches.

Obsidian hues peeked open to glance around the immediate area, narrowed in both pain and concentration as he searched for any signs that his enemy had managed to escape from the wreckage but his eyes saw nothing but an empty street. Not even a burning man stumbling around trying to put out the flames.

Next order of business was to get to Naruto. "It's over," he mumbled to himself, bracing his arms against the ground so that he could struggle back to his feet and try to assess the damage done to his leg.

He never got the chance, though, barely even making it to his hands and knees before some powerful force pressed him back against the ground once more, the ringing in his ears faded enough to allow him to hear a dark voice answer, "Over for you, perhaps." The foot against Sasuke's back ground down harder eliciting a barely suppressed grunt of pain from the young man.

Sasuke was no fool, he knew this situation couldn't possibly be any worse. Dark eyes struggled open once more, peeking up at the large, muscular form looming above his own, familiar man silhouetted by the burning vehicles as none other than Madara Uchiha looked down upon the enforcer with nothing short or disgust. "Madara… why?" Sasuke demanded through a clenched jaw, glaring as best as he could up at the traitor.

"You and your brother have completely disgraced this family," the glower on Madara's face turned into an evil sneer as he lifted his foot up only to slam it down against the younger's spine once more, eliciting ragged coughs from the enforcer he'd watched grow up from a bright-eyed little child into-

Nothing. Sasuke was the dirt beneath his feet. It appeared he wasn't finished fighting, though. Bloodied fingers reached out to grab his empty gun, simply trying to smash the object into his attacker's leg and cause some sort of damage, but he hardly got his fingers wrapped around it before a single shot rang out, effectively disarming the younger Uchiha with a shot to the hand. The little punk still had the sheer audacity to snarl weakly, "You'll lose."

"On the contrary, Sasuke," Madara lowered himself so that he could get a grip on Sasuke's hair, make sure this insubordinate little brat was listening closely. "You've already lost." With the hold he already had on the younger's hair, Madara smashed the _former_ enforcer's head against the asphalt, effectively silencing the defiant brat and sending him into a world of unconsciousness.

The traitor carelessly tossed his nephew over his shoulder, pulling out his phone as he started to walk toward the warehouse Sasuke had been in a mad dash to get to. "You should be thanking me, really. I'm bringing you to your precious little Naruto," Madara spoke to the unconscious young man with a low chuckle, putting the phone up to his ear, informing whoever was on the other end that Sasuke's capture was a success.


End file.
